Bittersweet Beginnings
by oblivious-massacre
Summary: A one-shot of my version of a happy ending for Titanic. Was going to be longer, but I'll wait and see if anyone wants me to continue before I do. Rated T for the part where Jack and Rose are in the car...


**I've absolutely loved Titanic ever since I first saw it when I was little. It's always made me sad, but it has it's happy parts, too. I had a dream last night about being on the Titanic, and it made me want to write this short one-shot. I had originally planned for it to be longer, but it just seems right the way it is. I really hope that you will like it.**

"I love you, Jack." I said, floating on a piece of debris in the middle of the Atlantic. The Titanic was nowhere to be seen, but I wouldn't have seen it anyways. It was just me and Jack in the world now. No one else. Well, except for those damn people in the lifeboats.

"No…don't say your goodbyes, Rose. Don't you give up. Don't do it." Jack struggled to say to me. I could tell by the way he was speaking that he was unbearably cold and wouldn't be able to take it much longer. I wanted to scoot over and let him on the debris - acting as a raft - with me, but I knew that if more than one person got on it, it would turn over, eventually killing us both.

"I'm so cold." I felt bad telling Jack this because I knew that he was way colder than I was, but I had to let him know that I would die soon, too.

"You're going to get out of this." Jack told me, taking big gulps as if he couldn't breathe. Tears tried to make their way to my eyes, but couldn't because of the cold. "You're going to go on and you're going to make babies, and you're going to watch them grow… And you're going to die an old lady, warm in your bed. Not here. Not this night. Do you understand me?"

I wanted to agree with him. I wanted to add on that he would be right there with me, but at that moment all I could think about was how cold I was. It seemed like my brain had frozen, not allowing me to focus on anything but the cold and the pain. "I can't feel my body."

"Rose, listen to me." I looked up at him from where I was on the raft. He was starting to turn an awful shade of blue. "Listen. Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me." He paused, trying to catch his breath. "It brought me to you. And I'm thankful, Rose. I'm thankful."

He was really having a hard time speaking now, and I knew that it wouldn't be too long before…the inevitable happened. But, no, I wouldn't think about that. Not right now; not while he was saying such important things to me.

"You must do me this honor…promise me you will survive…that you will never give up…no matter what happens…no matter how hopeless…promise me now, and never let go of that promise." he finished.

Although my body wanted to do nothing more than sleep, I made myself keep my eyes open and listen to Jack. Some of the cold that had plagued me was beginning to fade. I knew that it wasn't because I was getting warm, rather that I had just been in the cold so long that it was starting to numb my body.

"I promise." I assured him.

"Never let go." he automatically replied.

Stifling back a sob, I told him, "I promise. I will never let go, Jack. I'll never let go."

With that said, I grabbed his hand and put my head against his. I noticed that I was no longer hearing any screams or cries of help. Every now and then I would hear someone, but I wasn't able to tell what they were saying anymore. All was quiet, except for the constant lapping of the water against my raft.

After a moment, I rolled over to lay on my back. Jack's grip on my hand tightened for just a moment as I did it. The water was mostly clear around us. It reflected the stars in the sky, making it seem like we were laying in the sky. I looked to the actual sky, feeling death creeping upon me. At this point, I didn't care. I'd given up. It was just so much easier to give up and not care.

I couldn't think about anything else. I just looked at the sky, wondering if this beautiful sight would be the last thing I saw. I wasn't worried that this would be the last thing I ever saw. In fact, I was actually kind of resigned to it. It would be a beautiful last look on life. It wouldn't be my first choice, of course. I would've loved to see Jack right before I died, but I didn't want to see him looking so pale and cold.

A shooting star blazed across the sky and, for a moment, I pictured Jack as he was when I first saw him. So afraid that I would jump, trying to get me back on the Titanic. A lot of good that did, I thought.

Thinking of Jack, I started singing a song I'd heard him sing. It was hard because my lungs weren't working properly and my lips felt like they were about to fall off, but I managed to do it slowly.

"Come Josephine in my flying machine…" I sang, watching the shooting star.

Suddenly, my brain started to work just a little bit. I realized that the shooting star I was watching wasn't really a shooting star. No, it was a light. Where was that coming from? How could there be light coming from nothing?

Maybe that's the light at the end of the tunnel everyone says you see when you die, I thought. Maybe I was just dreaming all of this and I was asleep with Jack, snuggled safely in the back of the car we'd made love in. But even as I thought all of this, I looked back to see a man holding a flashlight, shining it towards me.

He was standing in a small boat. Miniscule, if you looked at it compared to the Titanic. It was a life boat, I realized, and the man in the boat had actually come back to look for survivors. They'd come back for us! Jack and I had a chance!

A surge of warmth went through my body, allowing me to roll over and look at Jack.

"Jack." I called, but could barely hear my voice. It was hoarse and only a whisper when I had tried to make it come out strong and clear. I barely realized that that was a bad sign, and that I was closer to death than I had thought.

Thinking Jack hadn't heard me the first time, I called out louder, "Jack!"

He still didn't look at me. His eyes were closed and I thought he must have fallen asleep. I grabbed his shoulder, not feeling the familiar warmth that I usually did. I didn't get it. Why didn't Jack look up at me when I'd touched him? Was he ignoring me? Did he think that I hadn't meant it when I promised I would never let go earlier?

And then it hit me. He was freezing, way colder than his body could stand and still work properly. He had little frozen specks in his hair and on his face. I pulled his face up to look at better and shuddered at what I saw. He looked like he was made of wax, which could only mean one thing.

"Oh, Jack." I sobbed, feeling everything inside of me break. He was gone. Absolutely gone.

I don't know how to explain how I felt at that moment. There are no words that will properly tell you how utterly defeated and heartbroken I felt. All I can tell you is what happened next, and hope that you get what I was feeling.

I put my head back down on the raft, feeling hollow inside. I wanted to cry, but it seemed like my body wouldn't do it. I looked over where the boat was, now farther away. There was no possible way they would hear me now. So, I decided, what was the point? Jack was dead. He was my sole purpose for making it through this. Now that he was gone, how did my living make any sense?

I closed my eyes and lay there, thinking about Jack and how wonderful he was, hoping that death would take me soon so that I could be with him again. I thought about every moment we had spent together, right up until he died.

I opened my eyes, thinking about the promise I had made him only minutes before, even though it felt like it had been hours. I turned to Jack, trying to pull my hand from his, but realizing that our hands were frozen together. I closed my eyes tight, trying to make it through the stab of pain that tried to hinder my heart from beating.

Sniffling, I brought his hand up to mine and breathed on it, trying to get some of the ice to melt. When it did, I pulled my hand from his and kissed it hard, making myself remember this moment.

"I'll never let go. I promise." I told him, letting him sink down do the bottom of the ocean. My heart felt like it would stop beating at any moment from ripping in half. My love, my Jack, was gone. Forever swallowed up by the cruel sea.

I took a deep breath, bracing myself for the pain that I was about to go through. I rolled over and slid off my makeshift raft, falling into the freezing cold water. I knew that the boats wouldn't be able to hear my hoarse voice from where they were. I swam a few feet over to a man who'd died on another piece of debris. He'd been whistling with a whistle around his neck and calling for someone to help while Jack and I found the piece of debris that we made our raft.

I yanked it from his mouth - which was hard because it was frozen to him - and pulled it into my own, not caring to look and see if it had taken skin off his lips. I'd promised Jack that I wouldn't die here, and I was going to keep that promise. Taking a deep breath, I blew as hard as I could into the whistle, watching the boat as I did.

I could vaguely see the shadow of a man turn my direction. Someone started shouting something but I couldn't make it out. It didn't really matter what they were saying, as long as they heard my whistling and came back to get me. I kept whistling and whistling, closing my eyes after I saw them coming back toward me.

I had just started to drift off when I felt the whistle fall out of my mouth. I opened my eyes quickly, seeing that the lifeboat was right next to me and that the man was bent over me, pulling the whistle out of my mouth. He grabbed me under my arms and pulled me into the safety of the boat.

I vaguely thought about how strange that was. That a simple piece of wood could be my salvation or my doom. I only regretted getting into the boat for a moment, thinking of how much easier it would have been to die and be with Jack again. But, again, it only lasted for a moment. I knew that Jack had wanted me to move on and live, and that was what I intended to do.

The men wrapped me in blankets as I closed my eyes. I barely felt someone pulling me into their arms before I lost consciousness…

And woke up in a bed.

I sat up straight, looking around the room. I was shaking violently and there was a film of sweat covering my face. Strange that I could go from being so cold to so hot in what seemed like a matter of minutes.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I'd known that when the ship sank we'd been closer to New York than we had been to Southampton, where we had launched from. So why was I back in the hotel we'd stayed at the night before we left? Had we run into another ship that was going the way we'd been coming from?

Confused and dazed, I whispered one word: "Jack."

"What?" came from the opposite side of the room. I looked over to see my mother sitting in front of the vanity mirror, expertly applying makeup to her face as she did every morning. When I didn't reply to her - and just sat there with my eyes probably popping from my head - she added, "Rose, you really shouldn't sleep in so late. Now you'll have to rush to get ready."

I closed my eyes for a moment, rubbing them. "Wh-what are we getting ready for?"

She looked over from the vanity mirror to me. She had a small smile on her face. "Really, Rose. Just because you didn't want to go to America on the Titanic doesn't mean you should act like a spoiled brat. Get dressed. Cal is waiting for us."

I felt like I was going to hyperventilate. Had I dreamt all of that? No. There was no possible way I could've dreamt it all. Especially Jack. Quickly, I thought of an excuse to not board the ship. "I'm not feeling very well, mother."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Oh, Rose, try all the games you want. They aren't going to work."

"No, honestly. Come feel my face if you'd like. I'm sure I have a fever." I assured her. It was weird to feel so calm after what I'd just gone through.

My mother sighed as she walked over to me. She stuck a hand on my forehead and actually look wide-eyed for a moment. "Hmm. It seems you do have a fever. I shall get a maid to run to the pharmacy for you."

"No, no. It's fine, mother. Don't worry yourself. Let me put something on and I'll go get it." I said.

She raised one eyebrow at me. "I thought you said you didn't feel well enough to board the ship. How can you go to the pharmacy if you aren't well enough to do that?"

There was no way she was going to let me go out on my own. I knew I had to get to Jack… But, wait. Where was Jack right now? He'd said something about a poker game. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that it was a poker game in a bar that Jack had won his ticket to board the Titanic in, but he hadn't told her the name. He did say that it was a couple of blocks from where the Titanic was docked and that you could see the ship from the front of the bar.

Okay, there were a lot of bars in Southampton that had a view of the sea. She would just have to go check them all out fast. So, she decided on a plan to get rid of her mother.

"You're right. I'm not feeling well at all. Would you get a maid for me?" I asked.

Ruth stood there looking at me for a moment before nodding her head. "Of course I will. Now, you just lay down. I'll get a doctor to come see you as well." She turned around and walked to the door before I could say anything else. As soon as the door was shut, I jumped up and grabbed my suitcase.

I know it seems silly, but I did think about what I wanted to wear. After all, this would be the first time Jack would ever see me. I wanted to look beautiful, not just because I wanted to look good the first time he saw me, but because I needed to look absolutely brilliant for him to listen to me and be captivated by me.

I went with the dress that I'd been wearing when the ship went down - the baby blue one. After all, it was the one I'd been wearing right before Jack and I had had sex.

I quickly put it on, throwing on a little makeup. I did it in record time and was able to escape the room before my mother got back. I ran down the hall, going for the stairs instead of the elevator because I knew that would be what my mother took.

We'd been on the third floor, so I had to run down two flights of stairs before making it to the lobby. Apparently, luck wasn't on my side because I ran right into Cal.

"Hello there." he said, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me to a stand-still.

"Cal, I really don't have time right now." I told him.

He raised an eyebrow at me. It was a look that all the snooty rich people who thought they were better than everyone else wore. Or, at least, that was what I thought. "Your mother said you weren't feeling well. That we had to get you some medicine before we boarded the ship."

I nodded. "Yes. I'm not feeling very well."

"Then where are you going?"

I thought about just spitting in his face like I'd done on the Titanic, but that would make both he and my mother suspicious. "I have to go speak with someone before we leave."

Cal gave me his cocky smile that annoyed every bone in my body. "You're not a very good liar, Rose."

I took a deep breath. I knew something like this would happen if I ran into him. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you the truth." I looked into his eyes, a sign I knew he took as telling the truth to someone. "I made a bet at a bar. I know, I know, it was stupid of me. I didn't tell you because I thought you would worry and I knew I would be okay."

Cal looked back and forth from each of my eyes, clearly trying to tell if I was lying. Finally, he let out a sigh. "Rose, how many times have I told you that it's not safe in those places? Especially for a woman."

I put on my best pouting face. "I know, Cal, and I'm really sorry. I just…wanted to have a little fun. Walk on the dangerous side."

I thought he might start yelling at me, or do something crazy like he had on the ship. Instead, he surprised me by giving a little chuckle. "Ah, Rose. What am I going to do with you?"

"Let me go collect my winnings?" I smiled at him like a little girl asking her parents if she can get some candy.

His smile disappeared. "Only if I go with you."

"No." I said a little too quickly. "I mean, I promised the guys at the bar that I would come alone. It was the only way they would let me bet. I'm sorry."

He sighed yet again. "Okay, Rose. But I'm going to have Lovejoy follow you and wait outside the bar." I was going to protest, but he stopped me. "No, Rose, this isn't up for debate. It is the only way I will be alright with this. Wait here while I go get him."

I nodded, having no intention of waiting here any longer. I knew it was only a matter of time before Jack got on the Titanic, and I couldn't let that happen. As soon as Cal got in the elevator, I ran to the hotel doors. I didn't think Cal would ever trust me to do something he asked, but apparently he had a little hope for me. As if I would ever do anything he wanted me to do. Pig.

I ran out the doors, running to the docks. I won't bore you with the details of my journey. I mean, I ran into a few people here, got yelled at a few people there… It really isn't that interesting. I ran in and out of bars, hoping that the next one I'd run into would be the one Jack was in, all the while keeping my eyes peeled for him out in the crowd.

Finally, I ran into the bar named Patrick's Pub. It was a little crowded for the morning time, so I had to fight my way through the door. Of course, everyone was staring at me because I was a first class lady standing in the middle of a third class bar. Even though they stared, they parted for me as I walked through the bar.

There were four games of poker going on, from what I could see, and none of them held Jack. I was starting to panic. How would I ever find him in time? I was turning to go back the way I'd come when I saw a fifth game going on right next to the front window. I was wondering how I'd missed that when I saw a familiar head of hair.

It was Jack! It had to be! He wasn't facing me, but I just knew that it had to be him.

Now that I was here, I was a little nervous about going up to him. I took a deep breath and charged forward. The other three men at the table could see me as I walked up and they looked up. I'd heard two of them speaking to each other in what sounded like Swedish, and the other one was a man I had seen before. I vaguely remembered that he was Jack's friend, Fabrizio.

Jack noticed them looking and turned around. I thought I would burst into tears the moment I saw his face, but I managed to keep my composure.

"Jack Dawson?" I asked, trying to pretend that I didn't know him.

"Yes." he whispered, standing up.

I gave him a big smile so that he wouldn't think something was wrong. I mean, you have to remember that back then it was very strange for a woman like me to be coming up to a man like him. Also, he couldn't have been more freaked that a woman he didn't know was calling him by name.

"Hello. My name is-"

He cut me off. "Rose. Rose DeWitt Bukater."

I gasped. He knew me? How? "How did you know that?" I asked.

He gave a little laugh, all the while looking right into my eyes. "I think what I'd like to know is how you know me."

I didn't know what to say. All these people were looking at us, and telling him that I'd dreamt of him seemed silly. Especially because I'd dreamt that the Titanic - a supposedly unsinkable ship - did, indeed, sink. "Well, I, uh…"

He grabbed my arm. It didn't feel like it did when Cal took my arm, controlling and hostile. No, it felt right. It felt light and respectful. "Why don't we go over here where people won't hear us?"

I nodded and walked with him over to an empty table in the corner of the room. Even though people weren't paying any attention to us anymore, I still whispered to him. "I had a dream about you."

Jack's eyes went wide. "I… I had a dream about you, too. Only, you weren't the only thing I dreamed." I cast my eyes down, knowing that he was talking about the sinking of the Titanic, but he must have taken that a different way because he added, "But you were definitely the most important."

I looked back up at him and said, "Jack, I think we had the same dream. But…I don't think it was a dream."

Jack gave a brisk nod. "Yeah, I thought so, too. It's why I'm only playing for money today and not a ticket."

My heart squeezed a little. I knew that I was just being a stupid girl, but I couldn't help what popped into my head. "Uh, Jack?" He nodded for me to go on. "Why didn't you…come look for me?"

He suddenly scooted over so that he could be closer to me. He tilted my chin up with his fingers and said, "Rose, there was no way I could find out where you were. You never told me in the dream where you had been before you got on…the boat. I had to hope that I could find you at the boat, when you got on. Even then, it would've been hard to talk you out of getting on it."

There were tears in my eyes. He had planned on trying to keep me from getting on the boat! "Jack, I… I'm not getting on the ship with my mother or Cal. I told them I went out to do something, but I'm not going back. I can't. Not now."

Jack's eyes were full of love and understanding. "Rose, you have to. No, don't argue with me. Just listen. Go back. Find some way to sneak back out, but get your clothes and your things. Get money if you want to, but you don't have to. We'll buy tickets on another ship to America. We'll start a new life. Together."

I kissed him then. I knew that I should've waited until we were somewhere private, but I couldn't help it. I'd thought he was dead and that I'd lost him. Yet, here he was. I wanted to hold on to him and never let go.

He pulled away from me, catching his breath. "Go, Rose. Meet me back here when you're done."

I gave him a small smile. "I love you, Jack. And this time it's not goodbye."

He smiled. "No, it's not goodbye, and it's not the end. It's just the beginning."


End file.
